Turkish tennis player Zeynep Sonmez said she competed at Wimbledon with a watermelon-shaped vibration dampener on her racket after tournament organisers barred her from wearing a pin in support of Palestine.
Speaking to Anadolu after her second-round exit at Wimbledon, Sonmez said tournament officials did not allow her to continue wearing the pin despite discussions on the issue.
“I used to wear a pin. Tournaments no longer allow me to wear it. We had a discussion with the organisers because the Ukrainian flag is allowed but the Palestinian is not,” Sonmez said.
“They ultimately told us they definitely would not allow it. So, I can’t wear the pin. I can use the vibration dampener, and they can’t object to that. That’s why I put the watermelon symbol on my racket,” she said.
Watermelon is grown in Palestine and shares the same colours as the Palestinian flag – red, green, white and black. It is considered a symbol of resistance against Israeli oppression and occupation.
Sonmez was eliminated from the women’s singles draw after losing 7-5, 6-3 to American Claire Liu in the second round.
The Turkish player said she did not deliver the performance she had hoped for. “I didn’t play very well. I couldn’t play according to the game plan I wanted. It wasn’t a day when I played good tennis or felt the ball well,” she said.
